26 April 2002 00:00
ON RUSSIAN PRIME MINISTER MIKHAIL KASYANOV'S TALKS WITH BELGIAN PRIME MINISTER GUY VERHOFSTADT
2002-04-25-006
At the end of Mikhail Kasyanov's talks in Brussels with Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation said that agreement had been reached at the meeting to adopt a joint declaration on deepening the cooperation of Russia and the European Union in the defense field.
During a press conference on the outcomes of the Russian-Belgian intergovernmental talks, Kasyanov noted that the declaration could be adopted as part of a European defense initiative. He called the future document a major element of stability not only in Europe, but also in the world and stressed that the declaration provides both for coordination within the framework of defense and for cooperation in the field of security.
Touching on bilateral cooperation in the energy field, Kasyanov gave an assurance that the European Union does not intend to impose restrictions on long-term contracts for deliveries of energy resources to Europe. In this regard, he pointed out the necessity of taking decisions for the attraction of investments into this area of energy. By his estimates, Russia is ready to supply the growing requirements of the European Union countries in both gas and oil.
Kasyanov also said Belgium has made a decision to transfer Russia in credit rating from the seventh to the fourth category on short-term credits with the increase of the annual limit to 150 million dollars. Besides, he noted that on medium-term credits Belgium is to transfer Russia from the seventh category of credit rating to the fifth with the increase of the annual limit to 300 million dollars. In the Russian Prime Minister's view, such actions evidence that "Belgian entrepreneurs are receiving political signals for deepening trade-and-economic cooperation with Russia." He also expressed satisfaction with the fact that trade between the two countries last year had gone up by 18 percent, to 2.7 billion dollars. Speaking of Belgian companies' intentions to participate in various projects on the territory of Russia, Kasyanov said they have already submitted applications for participation in the construction of a Sheremetyevo-3 air terminal, and some companies have declared a wish to cooperate with Russia in such industries as telecommunications, transport and energy.
The Russian Prime Minister also noted that Belgium will back the efforts of Russia to find mutually acceptable compromises for solving the problem of free movement of inhabitants of the Kaliningrad Region after the entry of Poland and Lithuania into the European Union. He announced that a special conference of the European ministers of justice and ministers of the interior will be held on May 15 of the current year to consider the issues of application of the Schengen Agreement after the enlargement of the European Union.
In addition, Kasyanov informed journalists that a monument by a Belgian sculptor, The Rape of Europa, will be opened in Moscow at the beginning of September. This monument will be erected on the square near the Kiev Railway Station, which on the Day of the City this September will be renamed Europe Square. He also announced the decision by the Government of the Russian Federation to return Belgian military archives which had been captured by Nazi Germany and turned out to be after World War II in Russia. In the nearest future, he said, a Belgian truck convoy will leave for Russia that will then deliver several dozen tons of archival materials to Brussels.
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